I toured Auschwitz in 2012 and will never forget the hell that was created on earth for enemies of the Third Reich. In these German concentration camps, homosexuals were at the bottom of the pecking order, being mistreated by both the Nazi guards and many of their fellow prisoners. For the estimated 5,000-15,000 gay people (mostly men) who interned by the Germans, I am glad that their suffering is being remembered by Israel.
When the concentration camps were liberated, many of the homosexual prisoners were sent to serve out their sentence under Paragraph 175. In 1950, East Germany abolished the law, but West Germany enforced and confirmed it. It wasn’t until 1969 that some changes began to take place giving homosexuals more equal rights in West Germany.
Out of respect to these men and ourselves, we need to live our lives with as much love and pride as possible because we represent the dreams and aspirations of countless generations of gay people.
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